Bryant Emerson & Fitch, LLP, is one of the oldest continuously-operating businesses in Central Oregon. The firm traces its roots back to a firm established in Metolius, Oregon, by Nelson Burdick, and his son, Denton Burdick, in 1905. That firm took on a new partner named Max A. Cunning in 1913. One year later, the Burdicks and Cunning moved the firm to Redmond. Cunning agreed to serve as the city recorder for a fee of $15 per month. He also assumed to serve as city attorney--a post he held for 35 years--at the rate of $35 per month.

In 1917, Cunning decided to strike out on his own. He stayed active as a solo practitioner, handling such matters as the incorporations of Central Electric Co-op and Midstate Electric Co-op. In 1925, Cunning associated with George Henry Brewster, an Illinois transplant who was a World War I veteran and professional engineer as well as a lawyer. Brewster found his niche in Redmond, taking over Cunning's responsibilities as legal counsel to the Central Oregon Irrigation District and becoming an expert in water law in the process.

In 1955, Cunning & Brewster joined forces with John Copenhaver. Eight years later, the firm added Joseph Larkin. Then, Ronald Bryant, the current patriarch of the firm, was brought into the fold.

Today, Bryant Emerson & Fitch, LLP, employs nine attorneys practicing in numerous practice areas. The firm has relocated from its original building on Sixth Street to a newer building on the corner of Ninth Street and Evergreen Avenue, and has replaced many of its well-used law books with modern, computer-based legal research tools. Yet the firm remains true to its roots and the clients who have made the firm what it is. And the firm looks forward to serving Redmond and Central Oregon for the next century to come.

Redmond Office
888 W. Evergreen Ave.
P.O. Box 457
Redmond, OR 97756-0103
Telephone: (541) 548-2151
Facsimile: (541) 548-1895
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